RhondaK shares some stories and histories behind her bestseling signs. WARNING: Gratuitous use of Pug, Yorkies, Pelicans and Egrets.

1. The Stories Behind Some Signs I Paint : Part 1 RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

2. While many of the signs I paint are from bars I’ve been to and found through the years. Many of them have original, unique flourishes and in some cases original RhondaK sayings. As time goes on, a lot of what I’m selling aren’t just the classics, or tribute signs but my own words and sentiments about what it is to live in Florida and love it the way I do. Lately I’ve been painting signs of my signs. The first sign is a classic, the second reworded, the third is my saying and the final one is a mash up of two popular sayings. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

3. This is a fake painted frame border sign. I use a lot of finger painting to get the effects I want on this style of sign. The borders are filled in with various sayings. I always try to include 1 of my original sayings with some other classics. I’ve been doing various tiki bars and bait shacks. I hope to add more real places as time goes on. Right now I am working with places I’ve been and reworking them a bit. I like to imagine that barstool is just waiting for me! Beer:30 and sunrise go together beautifully! RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

4. I began painting egrets because of Petey the Egret at Star Fish Company Restaurant in Cortez, Florida. I had some sad times there though it changed my life. Because of it I’m typing this sitting feet from a beach that rivals anything in the Bahamas in a small room that is all I need. Petey didn’t worry about the fish he didn’t catch. He just kept going. He was gorgeous, timeless persistence in action. The way to get what you want is to not quit, stay real to your mission, keep focus and do what you love every minute. Most of my egret signs read a saying I wrote from this: Live with Egrets, Not Egrets. Petey now lives in EVERYTHING I do. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

5. When I lived on a boat, I got left on the boat. Seriously. My BF at the time ran off, his dad started sabotaging me and I just wasn’t making enough to survive. I started painting. This is an original saying. If the leg of a starfish breaks off close enough to the center, not only does the leg regrow on the starfish, the fallen leg regrows a starfish. This is a sign about surviving. I now make a lot of my living painting. When my dad died, my mom started helping me. She now paints on her own and I sell her work too. When we survive our own terrible times, we become people that can help others. http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

6. I call my mermaids “Not your mama’s Mermaids.” This is a golden one. It reads: Mermaid’s Bar… where its always sink or swim.” The top of the sign reads, “Come on in and drink like a fish.” This mermaid is based on a fashion magazine spread where a model is holding up her skirt. I turned her skirt to fins. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

7. I call my mermaids “Not your mama’s Mermaids.” The upside down mermaid is sort of my signature mermaid. I have a 6 ft one that I keep in the back of my Jeep CJ5. When I’m selling on the side of the road – AHHH the glamorous life! – I set her up to stop traffic. And she does! I got the idea of her shape from a swim suit catalog. This sign reads: Captain’s Bar…Mermaids Drink for Free. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

8. The mermaid on the left I call the BUTT mermaid. She’s one of my first mermaids. I painted her this way to not compete with a well known mermaid artist in Cortez, Florida. This artist is know for various creative tops, nipple decorations and fun mermaids. This mermaid started out as a doodle on a bar coaster. Many of my works do. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

9. I’m a ninth gen Floridian. I do a lot of Florida Native signs from small $5 ones to larger multi-saying signs for $20. http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

10. I’ve started doing signs with mixes of sayings under various headings. People really like these. I can do them custom. You’re going to someone laughing on one of these sayings! http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

11. I am beginning to sell wood postcards with my popular images. They cost $2 to mail. http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

12. This is my sales pug. Sadie. She is my fourth pug. I find the breed amazing. I also paint a lot of her and pugs in general. They’re fun. Sadie’s favorite friends are Yorkies. http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

13. RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

14. My mom and father lived in Plant City, Florida area most of their lives. I grew up with strawberry farmers, farming and culture. The home I grew up in used to be a field my dad farmed with a horse that hated him. It bit him a lot. My cousin is a berry farmer and my other cousin in Mayor of Plant City. Growing up in a Florida town like this was a good place to come from for all of us. My Great grandpa was called the Mullet Man. He caught and sold mullet. My people always had multiple jobs. My grandpa was a “water witch” that is a person who could douse for water. This original sign is about my roots, my running from them and my always coming back. RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

15. I’ve done several versions of this. The saying is mine. I don’t know if you’ve ever watched the serious adult walk into the surf and get knocked down or destabilized, but then noticed how the kids were body surfing in, jumping around and just having fun. If you can’t get far into something, change your approach. Play a little. RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

16. I wrote and worked on images for this saying for over a year. “I’m not a cat lady, I am a feline fatale.” I do a custom version of a woman with two kitties over her breasts. Being a spinster, I know the fear of being a cat lady. But also being a “spinster,” I know if you’re doing what you love, love what you have…it is a damn sexy life. RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

17. Definitely a RhondaK sign. I love fishing…but I don’t love catching! RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

18. Sort of an offish nod to a Rolling Stone song. When I was a kid I always wanted to ride the Merry Go Round horse that had a tail. A seahorse. This sign is out of my inner carnival. Often a lot of my colors and sentiment are from being a kid loving the Strawberry Festival Midway. I expect as my work progresses, this will become more visible. RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

19. One of my first Egret signs. I prefer damaged wood when I can find it. I know an egret’s beak is more orange, but my egret’s always have a black beak. I’m not a naturalist—I’m a folk artist! RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

20. Another version of my original saying: Live With Egrets Not Regrets. RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

21. If a PeliCAN you CAN! A pelican dives into the sea for food and never shuts its eyes. Live. Dive. Thrive. Survive. That’s what this original saying means. RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

22. RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com

23. That’s just a few of my stories behind my signs. There will always be more. Sometimes the story is the history of the wood. Sometimes it might be a saying that a lot of people know, but I found it in a place that meant something else. Sometimes the story of the sign is selling it. Or sometimes… In giving it away. I do a lot of silent auctions to get to people I normally wouldn’t meet. Sadie’s paintings have gone on to raise money for many a pet organization. After all, when you survive the impossible you must pass it on to others. RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist http:// www.rhondakwrites.com